Stephen Ashkin selected to help revise LEED-EBOM

BLOOMINGTON, IN — The Ashkin Group and the Green Cleaning Network LLC have been selected to work with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as it prepares a revision of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM), according to a press release.

According to the release, Stephen Ashkin, long considered the "father of green cleaning," is president of The Ashkin Group and Sustainable Dashboard Tools LLC, co-founder of Green Cleaning University and founder of the Green Cleaning Network.

Although the new standards will not be released for two years, the preparatory planning work, including feedback and comments from the industry, is needed by January 30, 2010, the release stated.

Ashkin said: "Based on our experience working on the LEED-EB Core Committee, we have been asked to gather comments directly from the [cleaning] industry about LEED and its impact on green cleaning. Comments will be summarized and then presented to the LEED Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) for consideration as they revise the prerequisites and credits for the 2012 Rating Systems. I believe it is crucial that all segments of our industry get involved with this process. The revisions made will impact our industry for years to come. I want our industry to [continue to] play a leading role in not only promoting green and sustainable issues, but setting some of the rules for creating healthy, high performing buildings."

Because Ashkin believes this process is so important, a new website — http://www.ashkinleedeb.com — has been launched specifically for collecting comments from industry professionals, the release noted.

Click here to read the complete release.